Continuing the tradition of eco-friendliness, WITS Interactive made Ganesha from Alum that purifies water

Lord Vinayaka, Ganesh ji, Ganpati ji, is the Lord of the masses. Ganesh Chaturthi brings people of all religion, caste and creed together. Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with great devotion in all over India. People bring home murtis (Idols) of Lord Ganesha and celebrate the festival by worshiping the Lord in a special way for a day and a half, 3 days, 5 days, 7 days or 11 days depending on the family tradition and commitment of each individual. On the last day of worship the idol is taken out in a colorful and musical procession to be immerse traditionally at a beach. But, sometimes, we get so excited and involved in the festival mode, that we cause disrespect to the Lord and also to the environment.

In olden days, Ganesha’s idols were made primarily from clay and straw so that it could be returned to the nature from where it came. This practice shows Hindus respect for the environment and that it follows good ‘Green’ practices. But these days, the idols of Lord Ganesha are made up of toxic paints and Plaster of Paris (PoP), causing water pollution, which takes several months to clean the mess. Water is a scarce commodity, and we must preserve it.

A team working for a Charkop-based agency called WITS Interactive, carved out a two and a half foot tall Ganesha idol out of an alum block – widely believed to be a water purifier, in order to continue the tradition of eco-friendliness. It took them 30 days to create the idol themselves.

Water pollution due to the immersion of PoP Ganesha idols has been on the rise; hence, we chose alum, to support the cause of water purification, something that has been disregarded by the society. We knew that after we immerse our idol, it will not only dissolve completely, but will also help purify the water in the pond, said Biswa Ranjan Rath, creative director for WITS Interactive, adding that it took them 30 days of hard work to carve out the idol.

The video shows the making of Lord Ganesha idol from alum by the team.

If we all promise ourselves, by celebrating this festival using ‘Green’ practices like immersion of idols made of alum, clay, leaves, straws, etc., we will not only give respect to Lord Ganesha but we will also contribute to save the environment and other resources. We are thankful to the WITS Interactive team, for their creative idea and their efforts.

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